Zach Strief wants the blame for Saints loss

Posted by Josh Alper on September 24, 2012, 9:31 AM EST

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The Saints’ implosion on Sunday took them from up 24-6 in the third quarter to losers of a third straight game in breakneck fashion.

Tackle Zach Strief would like to take on the blame for that sudden turn of events. Strief couldn’t stay in front of Chiefs linebacker Justin Houston, who had three sacks including a fourth quarter safety that brought the Chiefs close enough to tie the game on a Ryan Succop field goal. After the game, Strief made no excuses for his role in a painful 27-24 overtime loss.

“I’ve never felt more individually responsible for the destruction of an offense before. I mean, I’ve just never been in a situation … I mean, hats off to him. That’s a game that you fear as a lineman. I had no answers. And I think I really gave us no chance to get anything going,” Strief said, via Mike Triplett of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. “I don’t feel like I did a good job at any point in that game. … I think I was physically and mentally beaten. And that’s disappointing, because you just can’t be in that situation. As a professional athlete, you can’t be in the situation that I was in today.”

Give Strief high marks for accountability, but downgrade him for accuracy. As bad as Strief was on Sunday, this wasn’t about one player destroying things for his entire team. Strief wasn’t on the field when Jamaal Charles went 91 yards for a touchdown, he wasn’t the only guy on the field when the team went three-and-out in overtime, he wasn’t responsible for the coaching staff wasting two timeouts in the fourth quarter and there were plenty of times when Drew Brees had time to throw without inflicting any damage on the Chiefs defense.

There were a lot of things wrong with the Saints on Sunday, in other words, and there has been plenty wrong with them in all three of their losses. Fixing those problems won’t be easy, but it will help if other players are as forthright about their shortcomings as Strief was on Sunday night.

32 responses to “Zach Strief wants the blame for Saints loss”

I wouldn’t blame Strief for it. The whole team just collapsed and it looked like the Chiefs wanted it more. Everyone will talk about Jamaal’s performance in this game, and rightly so, but Justin Houston was absolutely dominant. Eric Berry and Justin Houston are the best draft picks Pioli has made.

Why doesnt anyone blame Loomis and Payton for not stoppint the bounty proram when they were first told to stop?

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Brett Favre doesn’t even believe there was a bounty out on him.

He can’t even prove that they had it for one game, and idiots like you are still spouting the “they didn’t stop” talking point like if you say it enough times or something it automatically becomes true.

I am a Saints fan and I am embarrassed. Kansas City Chiefs???????? CMON, WTH is going on over there.
Sean Peyton, you are truly missed. You are worth every penny.
Brees has thrown an INT in every game thus far. The WR’s is not running their routes to get open. 0-3 who would have thought?
Do not get me talking about that defense.
That is why they say some people are leaders and some are followers. Get it together NOW!!!!!

And…of course, the Pierre Thomas touchdown the refs took from the Saints.
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Well I don’t want it to become a refs cost the Saints the game post. Because obviously the Saints are a different team without Payton, but to point to the 91 yard TD like it was a bad play by the Saints or a great run by Charles is just wrong.

Why doesnt anyone blame Loomis and Payton for not stoppint the bounty proram when they were first told to stop?

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Brett Favre doesn’t even believe there was a bounty out on him.

He can’t even prove that they had it for one game, and idiots like you are still spouting the “they didn’t stop” talking point like if you say it enough times or something it automatically becomes true.

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Absolutely, and officiating NEVER decides the outcome of games….I think I heard from New Orleans fans about a million times…

As a side note, I’m a lifelong Saints fan and you guys who are blaming the refs for the Saints blowing a 18 point lead in the second half are wrong. No matter what, you can’t blow an 18 point lead at home to a team that is 0-2. You make the fan base look bad so just shut up about the refs. The Saints are just a bad team this year. Washington’s only win was against the Saints. Carolina’s only win was against the Saints and now, the Chiefs only win is against the Saints. If you’re mad, there is only one place to aim your anger, The Saints. Stop blaming the refs.

It’s time to face facts. Our Saints have, by far, the worst defensive line in the NFL.

Three 1st round draft picks: Cam Jordan, Sedrick Ellis, and Will Smith. The most invisible line I’ve ever seen. Smith masks his bad performances by making 1 or 2 plays a game after ‘taking off’ about 80% of the plays he’s involved. Just look at him. He’s as flabby as he’s ever been.

And Malcolm Jenkins… for all the talk we heard when he was drafted about how smart of a player he is. Week 1: bites on a play fake AWAY from him and allows RG3 to get that TD pass off to Garcon. Should have been a sack.

Watch Jenkins on Charles 91 yarder yesterday. Runs up the field to where the blocker didn’t even need to block him. DUMB DUMB DUMB.

Akiem Hicks has shown flashes of brilliance as a rookie. But our coaching staff rarely plays him. Seriously, our 1st string linemen can’t be worse. Hicks should be playing every down!

“Streif is a team captain. This is an honorable, but unnecessary apology.”

At least there is one honorable person in New Orleans.

“Everybody knows what the real problem with the Saints is, and his name is Goodell. He set out to cripple this franchise and that’s exactly what he accomplished.”

If you honestly believe that, then there is no hope for you.

Goodell is not out to cripple any franchise. He was hired by the owners of the 32 NFL teams – that includes Tom Benson.

Unless you believe that Tom Benson is out to cripple his own team, your post makes no sense.

Your coaches have admitted to violating the rules and lying about it. They were suspended appropriately for there actions.

Your star QB held out for more money – missing all the off season work with the team. Do you think that there just might be some correlation to that and his QB rating from 2011 to 2012?

Last year through three games – the Saints were averaging 35 points per game – while playing the Packers, Bears and Texans. They were 2 – 1 last year.

This year it’s 28 points per game and they’ve played the Redskins, Panthers and Chiefs. They are 0 – 3 this year.

Fewer points, against weaker opponents, has left your suspect defense on the field too long and they are not up to the task of stopping mediocre opponents.

As much as I would like the Saints fans to endure an 0 – 16 season for trying to blame everybody but their own front office and players for their problems – I would like to see your team come together and avenge last years loss to the Packers.

Look this year is a lost year for the saints. It’s okthis will give the defense one full year under Sgag’s system to work out the kinks then when big daddy comes back next year you make another serious run at it.
This year is a lost cause for the saints.
Well played Goodell, well played.

Whoa whoa whoa! Favre didn’t say he didn’t believe there was bounties.. He didn’t want top talk about it and he thinks the suspensions were too much. You clowns keep talking about the NFL putting words in the mouth of Greg Williams. Oh and who dat? Everyone apparently! 0~16 here they come! Get the bags out!

People who think Saints fans are whiners because we think the refs are out to get us:

How are we supposed to feel when we see 5 minutes of replays of Pierre Thomas catching a football, running it into the end zone, and the call is reversed?

How are we supposed to feel when we recover a fumble, run it into the end zone, but the whistle blew the play dead so it’s not a TD?

Sure the D looks like a bunch of turnstiles, and Strief and Bushrod get blown up a lot in front of Brees, we’re well aware. But the Saints have lost games by 8, 8, and 3 points, and when Vegas is adjusting their betting lines due to the replacement refs, you don’t think that it’s affecting the outcome of games?

The only “evidence” we have of any such program of the word of Roger Goodell…….which in my estimation, is not worth much these days.
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Well, yeah, except for the whole part about Payton and Loomis admitting to it. Oh, and then there’s the sworn testimony from Williams and others. And the players who have acknowledged knowing about it…. But other than all that, you’re right: Total fabrication with zero proof whatsoever.

cbbeard says:
S
The Gumble and Dierdorf mentioned something about touching the pylon, but you have to have 2 feet in bounds…period.

Dierdorf was acting as if you could jump in the air, catch a ball, and touch both feet on the pylon and have it called a touchdown. Not so.
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This has been an annoying byproduct of the additional scrutiny on the refs. The commentators are totally ignorant of the rules. So, you get guys who have no idea what they’re talking about second-guessing the refs who aren’t 100% sure what they’re calling. No wonder everybody watching is totally confused.

When Dierdorf launched into that explanation, my very first thought was “Wait a minute, the top of the pylon is almost a foot off the ground…how could touching it possibly count the same as having your feet on the ground?

erictheclown says:
Sep 24, 2012 9:52 AM
Why doesnt anyone blame Loomis and Payton for not stoppint the bounty proram when they were first told to stop?

should change the name of that team to
New Orleans Victims
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There is not a single bit or shred of even circumstantial evidence that shows the bounty went on beyond the 2009 playoffs – which is BEFORE they were asked to stop. There’s nothing in the Cerullo or Williams declaration, or anywhere in the evidence submitted that says it kept going on.

The only “evidence” we have of any such program of the word of Roger Goodell…….which in my estimation, is not worth much these days.
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Well, yeah, except for the whole part about Payton and Loomis admitting to it. Oh, and then there’s the sworn testimony from Williams and others. And the players who have acknowledged knowing about it…. But other than all that, you’re right: Total fabrication with zero proof whatsoever.

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Well, yeah, except for the inconvenient little fact that nobody ever admitted anything, except for Gregg Williams, whose testimony is inherently suspicious, that at least 9 and as many as 30 players and coaches have testified in FEDERAL FREAKING COURT that none of it happened, the appeals panel admitted that Goodell overstepped his authority, the ledgers were exposed as a total fallacy, the Hargrove video clip was admitted to be misleading, etc. etc. etc.

But I guess you’re right, we should all just trust Goodell. Because he’s doing such a good job with everything else these days.

I’m a Chiefs fan, and I’m happy that my team won. Were there questionable calls? Absolutely. I thought Pierre Thomas made that touchdown. However, Jimmy Graham was wide open in the end zone on the same play. Brees should have seen him.

The fact of the matter is that Roger Goodell and the replacement refs didn’t let Jamaal Charles run 91 yards untouched down the sideline. They didn’t allow Matt freaking Cassel to make clutch throws near the end of the game. They didn’t throw an interception to end a good drive that would have put the Chiefs down.

The Saints did all of those things. Even though they are under difficult circumstances, they played poorly when it mattered.

Zach Strief wants the blame for Saints loss
and Brees wants an explanation…C’mon you knew it was coming.

But seriously, it wasn’t the officials job to keep Charles under 200 yds rushing or to block Houston or to keep Brees from throwing an interception in the endzone. So you might want to look at those things, Saints fan, instead of blaming the refs. Ya just got outplayed and got beat. Deal with it.

Saints fan here. Been a Saints fan since 1982 or so. Will continue to be one this year and for as long as I am alive. Will be no bags here! They’ll get it together sometime. Maybe not till next year but they will regardless. Who Dat say dey gonna get a Saints fan down. Ain’t gonna happen with a true Saints fan!

Did you see that Falcons game? Total domination! Matt Ryan looks really good in the pocket! Julio Jones looks like a beast! Roddy White is catching everything!

It sure looks like no one can stop the Falcons in the NFC South. As a matter of fact, that, uh; other team (Shoot! I can’t remember their names!) Oh well, they haven’t even won a single game this year. They look terrible. It’s just horrible!

But they (You know, those guys that wear the funny clothes, make great poboys and is known for those bags over their heads!)- uh, they lost to a Chiefs team that the Falcons beat badly. I mean, their run defense was shredded!

But hey, those guys are only 0-3. I mean, it’s still early, right? They can turn it around, right? Right? Right? I mean, they’re going to beat those Packers (the same Packers who were robbed this Monday) because they’re just better than them, right? In Lambeau.

0-4 isn’t in the future for that team, right? Oh, and I finally remember the name if the team! It’s the Sorry Saints! Welcome to the cellar! Dress warm because it’s cold down there!

I understand how Saints fans feel about the loss, but lets face it. The Saints D has been horrible this year. Jamaal Charles is a beast and did what he was suppose to do against a week defense. You can say it was holding on his 91 yard run. It’s holding on every play and with these refs it doesn’t always get called. There was plenty of holding on New Orleans when KC was blitzing and getting to Drew Brees. Bottom line New Orleans blew a 18 point lead and had less then 300 yards offense.Add that together and that equals a loss.